Wrist & hand Board decisions

The Board has granted a 20 percent rating for the postoperative residuals of a left wrist fracture, effective from when the disability was initially rated in March 1971.

The Board is revising the November 1980 decision that denied service connection for a psychiatric disability and is granting service connection on new evidence. The Board also revised the November 1980 decision denying a rating in excess of 10 percent for residuals of a left wrist fracture.

The veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for his service-connected ganglion cyst of the right wrist was denied by the RO. The Board found that the current 10 percent rating is appropriate as there is no evidence of ankylosis or neurological deficits.

The veteran's notice of disagreement was not timely filed within one year from the date of the December 1997 and January 1998 rating decisions, thus his appeal is dismissed.

The Board has determined that the veteran's left wrist arthritis does not warrant a rating in excess of 20 percent.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have bilateral fallen arches or pes planus that are service-connected, and there is no evidence of left hand, wrist, or finger disabilities due to military service.

The Board denied an evaluation in excess of 30 percent for the veteran's right hand and wrist disability, finding that her condition warranted a 30 percent rating.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities, when considered together, are severe enough to prevent him from obtaining or retaining substantially gainful employment.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions, including arthritis of the right and left knees, bilateral pes planus, lung disability, right and left ankle disabilities, lipoma of the left arm and cyst/boil of the neck (claimed as secondary to radiation exposure), right shoulder and left shoulder disabilities, and right and left wrist disabilities. The claims were denied on the basis that there is no competent medical evidence linking these conditions to service or a service-connected disability.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for carpal tunnel syndrome and an increased evaluation for his herniated intervertebral disk at L5-S1, finding that there was no evidence of these conditions in service or a direct link to service. The initial evaluation for the herniated intervertebral disk remains 20 percent.

The veteran's right wrist injuries sustained in November 1989 were the result of his own willful misconduct, and therefore compensation benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 for a right wrist disorder are denied.

The veteran's carpal tunnel syndrome of the right and left wrists are each rated at 10 percent, while his degenerative joint disease of C2-C7 is currently rated at 20 percent. The appeals for higher evaluations have been denied.

The Board has granted the veteran's claims for increased evaluations and service connection, but denied some issues related to earlier effective dates.

The Board has determined that the veteran's right carpal tunnel syndrome and median and ulnar neuropathy, claimed as weakness in the right hand, are not related to his service-connected disability of residuals of injury of the right scapula.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and conducting a VA examination to assess the veteran's liver laceration residuals. The claims for increased ratings for left wrist fracture and liver laceration are also being remanded.

The Board has determined that the veteran's right wrist, right knee, and left knee disabilities do not warrant a rating in excess of 10 percent since service connection was established.

The Board granted an increased rating from 20 percent to 30 percent for partial amputations of the ring and little fingers of the right hand, effective May 8, 1999. The veteran's arthritis of the first carpometacarpal joint of the right hand is rated at 20 percent, while his arthritis of the right wrist remains at 10 percent.

The veteran's service-connected left wrist disability is currently rated at 20 percent, effective from May 21, 1992. The RO has granted an increased rating for the period since June 1, 1972 to May 20, 1992.

The Board found that the August 1981 rating decision did not involve clear and unmistakable error in assigning a 10 percent evaluation for multiple non-compensable service-connected disabilities, with an effective date of May 15, 1981. The veteran's claim was denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including schizophrenia, bilateral hearing loss, chronic muscular strain with tendonitis of the shoulders, chronic synovitis with ulnar nerve irritation of the elbows, moderate and chronic synovitis of the hands and wrists, a pulmonary disorder, and skin rashes. The Board found that none of these claims were legally merited.